This project has put such a smile on my face! I am absolutely in love with the way it turned out…. but mostly… until this project was complete, I had no idea how much I desperately needed a gothic memo board. Actually, I need five of these!! As someone who currently chases a toddler around every waking moment…. and tries to sneak in time to manage this blog and run an Etsy business… I desperately need some help with time management, focus, and organization!! Not sure if I’m going to use this board as a planner or as a vision board, but either way… it’s going up on my office wall ASAP!!
When I found this frame at the thrift store I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do with it. I liked the shape…. and I rarely turn away from an ornate carved wood frame… it had potential to be cool. The frame had some damage, but nothing a sander couldn’t fix. I also loved the price! You’ll find that thrift stores charge a fraction of the price for frames that don’t have glass, so I got this one for $3!!
It’s clear that whomever owned this piece before me had also attempted a DIY project. It is also clear that the former owner had no taste. My god – what is with that country plaid ribbon?! I buy a lot of ugly pieces with the intent of making them beautiful… but this one got to me! I could not stand looking at that awful ribbon while I pondered what to do with this frame, so off it went. The ribbon had actually been hot glued to the cork… to cover up the fact that instead of having a sheet of cork cut to fit the frame, someone pieced cork together and the seam was visible… That ribbon was some cowgirl’s idea of a fix. When I ripped it off… the glue had damaged the cork board.
At that point, I had been leaning towards turning this frame into a chalkboard or possibly one of my Framed Chicken Wire Projects…. but the more I looked at that damaged cork board, I started to like the idea of keeping this frame as a pin board. My initial thought was to buy a new piece of cork (one that actually fit the frame), and paint it…. maybe black (no shock there)… or red, or white, or purple. But upon investigating tips on painting this type of surface, it started to sound like a bad plan. Apparently, unless you paint a light neutral color (similar to the color of the cork), the cork starts to show thru the paint every time you put a pin in it. I’m not going to put time into making something only for it to turn to shit as soon as I start to use it!!
So… Since I am a fan of salvaging found items, I decided the frame wasn’t the only thing to get a new life… I was going to salvage that damaged, pieced-together cork board too and turn this into a padded, fabric covered pin board. Here’s how…
Supplies you need:
- Frame
- Paint
- Cork Board – cut to fit the frame
- Batting – I used Soft, Medum Loft
- Fabric
- Ribbon – I used 3/8″ Velvet Ribbon
- Straight Pins
- Staple Gun & Staples
- Upholstery tacks
- Finishing Nails (as needed)
Steps:
1. Pick your color palette. One of the nice things about this project is that it can be done in any combination of colors. When I bought all of my supplies, I had planned on creating a black and gold pin board. I was going to paint the frame black, and rub a gold glaze on the creases. Then I was going to use gold buttons to tuft the board, but once I started laying everything out, I loved the black on black. Big surprise.. I know.
2. Sand and Paint the frame. I used flat black primer and spray paint.
3. Cut the layers of batting to fit the cork board. I used 3 layers.
4. Lay the cork board and batting face down on the back side of your fabric. Using your staple gun, pull the fabric taught, and staple the edges to the back side of the cork board.
5. Lay out your ribbon on the covered board. I used straight pins to pin the ribbon in place, and make sure it was even.
6. Flip the board over once all of the ribbons are in place, and staple the ends of the ribbons to the back side of the board.
7. Once the fabric and ribbons are secured with staples, trim the fabric as needed.
8. Push the upholstery tack through each point where the ribbons intersect. FYI… back when I was still considering the black & gold color combo, I had purchased brass upholstery tacks. When I decided to go ALL black… I simply used a high gloss black spray paint to cover the tacks before inserting them.
9. Insert the upholstered cork into the frame. Mine fit so snug there was nothing else for me to do… but I noticed that the former owner had used finishing nails to tack the cork to the inside of the frame.
Hang on your wall… and get to work loading it up with all of your important notes, pictures, ideas, inspirations…. whatever makes you tick!! I’ll be on the lookout for another frame so I can make another one of these…… I’m thinking a huge one would make for an awesome vision board in my office!!! Stay tuned for that. My office is a top of mind work in progress for me… so I can’t wait to bring that major project to you!!
Until then…. if you like Goth It yourself projects for your home… you’ll love this Black Crushed Velvet Upholstered Stool Project or this Black Bottle with Horned Stopper Project!
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